Curtain runner



`Func 17, w69 F. FELSNER ETAL CURTAIN RUNNER Filed Jan. 17, 1967 UnitedStates Patent O 3,449,790 lCURTAIN RUNNER Franz Felsner, 1 Gleissenweg8043, Ismaning, Germany, and Albert Heitmann, 20 Maistrasse 8000, Munich15, Germany Filed Jan. 17, 1967, Ser. No. 609,861 Claims priority,application Germany, July 20, 1966,

F 4 Int. Cl. Ed 13/02;,A4,7h 15/00; A44b 21/00 U.S. CL 16-93 6 ClaimsABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE A curtain runner is provided with two or morerailengaging head portions of different forms or sizes. Any selectedhead porti-on can co-operate with a curtain rail without interference bythe other head portion or portions and the runner is therefore capableof being used with curtain rails of dierent form or sizes of curtainrail. The specification describes in Idetail a two-component runnerwherein one component carries curtain-attachment means and the othercomponent carries the rail-engaging head portions and is rotatable tobring any selected head portion into operative position.

This invention relates to curtain runners.

Conventional curtain runners comprise an eyelet or other part to which acurtain can be attached, e.g., by means of a curtain hook, and means forco-operating with a curtain rail from which the curtain is to besuspended. Dierent forms of curtain rail are known and are in use anddifferent types of runner are required for the difierent forms of rail.

The present invention aims to provide a curtain runner which can be usedwith different types or sizes of curtain rail. This object is achievedby a curtain runner designed with diierent rail-engaging head portionswhich can be selectively moved into operative position relative to thecurtain-attachment means.

Two or more head portions may be present, suited to rails which differin cross-sectional size or shape or which dilier in both shape and size.

Preferred forms of the invention embody two components, one of which isprovided with one or more hooks or other curtain-attachment means `andthe other of which incorporates the rail-engaging head portions and isrotatable relative to the tirst mentioned component to bring theselected head portion into operative position. The components may bemoulded from plastics and may be formed for snap coupling.

A particular embodiment of the invention incorporating the preferredfeatures is illustrated by the accompanying drawings in which FIG. l isa perspective view of the body component carrying curtain-attachmenthooks, FIG. 2 is a perspective view of the other cornponent which isprovided with the rail-engaging head portions, `and FIG. 3 is anelevation of the complete runner, the two components being coupledtogether.

T-he body portionZ of the runner comprises side walls 3 connected inspaced parallel relation by transverse end walls 7 having hook portions4 suitable for engaging a curtain tape or eyelets attached thereto.

In elevation the body component is arched as particularly appears fromFIG. 3, and key-hole slots are formed in the central regions of thesewalls and open at the bottom edges thereof.

The second component 10 of the runner comprises three radial arms 11, 12and 13 having head portions for engaging different curtain rails. Arm 11carries, at the outer end thereof, lateral projections for engaging theinternal tracks of a U-section rail. Arm 12 carries like projections butis dimensioned to suit a wider U- 3,449,790 Patented June 17, 1969section rail. Arm 13 has inturned flanges spaced to receive the web of aT-section rail so that the said ilanges ride on the abreast lateralanges of the,A rail head. The arms 11, 12 and 13 radiate from anintegral hub having trunnions 14 at its opposed ends.

The component 10 is coupled to the body component 2 by inserting thecomponent 10 between the walls 3 of the body component from below. Thetrunnions 14 pass along the converging lead-Vin portions of the key-holeslots in the body component and are guided by the convergent edges 6 ofthese slots into the terminal circular portions S of the slots. Theentry of the trunnions into their iinal positions is permitted by theresiliency of the body component which allows its exure for temporarilywidening the key-hole slots at their most restricted point. Thus thetrunnions snap into the terminal slot portions 5. In the assembly, whichis shown and generally designated 1 in FIG. 3, the inner component 10can -be rotated relatively to the body component 2 to bring any selectedhead portion into the uppermost operative position. FIG. 3 shows the arm11 in this operative position.

The two components can be produced in major batches as integral parts.The components can be formed from plastics material, e.g., from a linearhighly crystalline acetal polymer such as that manufactured by FarbwerkeHoechst and commercially available under the trademark Hostaform R, orfrom a formaldehyde polymer in highly crystalline stable form such asthat made by BASF Ludwigshafen and sold under the trademark De1rin.Alternative plastics materials which can be used are: polyolefins,particularly polyethylene and polypropylene, polystyrene andpolyacrylates. Plastics materials, when used, may incorporate usualadditives, e.g., plasticisers, pigments, dyes and/ or lubricants.

Instead of using plastics material, a runner according to the inventionmay be made from some other material, e.g., metal. The runner may becoated with metal or other material for decorative eiect.

In the case of a two-component runner, the two components may have thesame or different colours.

What is claimed is:

1. A curtain runner having curtain-attachment means and a head portionfor co-operating with a curtain rail, with the improvement that thereare at least two head portions which are differently shaped ordimensioned to suit curtain rails of different forms or size and suchhead portions are displaceable relative to said curtain-attachment meansto bring any selected one of said head portions into operative position.

2. A curtain runner according to claim 1 wherein there is a tirstcomponent which carries said curtain-attachment means and a secondcomponent which carries said head portions and which is rotatablerelative to said first component.

3. A curtain runner having curtain-attachment means and a head portionfor co-operating with a curtain rail, with the improvement that thereare two components one of which carries curtain-attachment hooks whichare spaced along the notional line of motion of the runner and facealong such line, and the second of which is rotatable relative to saidfirst component and incorporates at least two different rail-engagingvhead portions angularly spaced about the axis of said relative rotationwhereby any selected one of said head portions can be brought intooperative position by rotating said second component.

4. A curtain rail according to claim 3 wherein said second componentincorporates at least one head portion formed for engaging abreasttracks of an inverted T- section curtain rail and at least one headportion formed for engaging the internal tracks of an inverted U-sectionrail.

5. A curtain runner having curtain-attachment means and a head portionfor co-operating with a curtain rail, with the improvement that thecurtain-attachment means is present o'n a rst component whereas a secondcomponent incorporates at least two rail-engaging head portions, saidfirst component comprises side walls connected 0 in spaced parallelrelationship and said second component has said head portions on armswhich radiate from a fhub portion, said hub portion being journalied forrotation between said side walls of said rst component.

6. A curtain runner according to claim 5 wherein said rst and secondcomponents are moulded components which couple together with snapaction.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 8/1953 French et al. 16-93FOREIGN PATENTS 557,813 2/1957 Italy.

BQBBY R. GAY, Primary Examiner. ANDREW M. CALVERT, Assistant Examiner.

U.S. C1. X.R.

